The Strong Who Made the World Gentler

To Wu Yan, there was really no difference between being at the academy and being at home.

The people around him treated him kindly. It could even be said that they granted his every request.

Wu Yan understood that this was all because of the talent and strength he had displayed, which had made the world much friendlier.

Precisely because of this, he needed to maintain this stance and continue growing stronger.

Following Vice Principal Hu Gan through a secret passage, Wu Yan and four other students arrived before the Scripture Pavilion.

That was right. Hu Gan was now the vice principal of the Outer Academy, and he was still at the peak of the Dou Emperor realm. If nothing unexpected happened, he would remain at this level for decades to come.

This was the true state of the Dou Qi Continent. There was no such thing as an entirely smooth path forward.

Even if one's cultivation technique was of a sufficiently high grade, it could not break through the limits of one's aptitude or shatter one's shackles.

This was also why alchemists held such high status.

Because high-tier alchemists could not only refine pills that improved aptitude, but also all sorts of miraculous pills with heaven-defying effects.

Whenever one faced a problem, asking an alchemist to refine a pill was never a wrong choice.

Looking at the two gray-robed elders who had silently appeared before the Scripture Pavilion and were now using special hand seals to stir the power of space, longing flashed through Wu Yan's eyes.

One day, he too would possess such formidable power.

No!

He would possess even greater power, surpassing Dou Zong, Dou Zun, Battle Saint, Dou Di... and even surpassing the Ruler Realm!

"This is a Spatial Lock. Only when these two elders join forces and use the method left behind by the headmaster can the Scripture Pavilion be opened. The power of space is extremely dangerous. Do not attempt to touch it, or even I will not be able to save you."

Hu Gan gave the youngsters a brief introduction, though his gaze mostly lingered on Wu Yan at the front.

In his view, among these five youngsters, only Wu Yan had any hope of reaching the level of the two elders.

As for the others, that was hard to say. It was uncertain whether they could even reach the level of most Inner Academy elders.

Although they were already Da Dou Shi at around twenty years old, undeniably outstanding young talents.

Cultivation started easy and grew difficult. The higher the realm, the harder it became.

The step from Dou Spirit to Dou King alone trapped ninety percent of the Dou Qi Continent's outstanding young talents.

As the two gray-robed elders undid the Spatial Lock, revealing the timeworn plaque of the Scripture Pavilion, Hu Gan instructed the five of them:

"All right, you have one hour from now on. Once you enter, you will see all kinds of light orbs. If you can reach your hand inside one, you can take the item within. If you cannot, quickly choose another."

"Remember, do not be greedy, or the consequences will be severe."

"All right, go in quickly."

"Yes."

Even Wu Yan, who knew that the Scripture Pavilion held an abundant collection, could not help feeling curious about what treasure he might obtain within.

Watching the five students enter, Hu Gan and the two gray-robed elders waited patiently.

The moment the five stepped into the Scripture Pavilion, light orbs flew out from the surrounding walls.

Relying on perception and speed far beyond ordinary people, Wu Yan grabbed several light orbs in succession. After seeing the items within, he tossed them back out.

Even the worst were Xuan-tier cultivation techniques and Dou Skills, but they could not satisfy Wu Yan's appetite.

Perhaps the two gray-robed elders were observing the movements of the students inside and had guessed what they wanted.

Several icy blue light orbs emitting freezing auras appeared in the room.

Wu Yan struck repeatedly, and before long, he seized a light orb that suited his tastes.

Icebound Secret Manual, an Earth-tier mid-grade cultivation technique.

Through the light barrier, Wu Yan saw the icy white scroll inside.

To be safe, Wu Yan immediately got serious. Frigid air flooded the sturdy light barrier in an instant.

The next moment, cracking sounds rang out without end, and the icy white scroll fell into Wu Yan's hands.

Wu Yan looked around at the four others, who had been stunned by the biting cold, then stored the scroll away.

An Earth-tier mid-grade cultivation technique was enough to support his cultivation until the Dou Zun realm.

That was, provided his aptitude could support him in cultivating to the Dou Zun realm.

Aptitude determined one's upper limit, while the grade of one's cultivation technique determined how quickly one reached that limit.

Wu Yan forced himself not to pay attention to the Little Blue Bottle within his soul, lest he attract the attention of those two old fellows.

Over the years, Wu Yan had constantly sensed that his Little Blue Bottle was evolving.

Moreover, the speed of its evolution was tied to his own strength.

The stronger he became, the faster the Little Blue Bottle evolved.

"I wonder whether the Little Blue Bottle can evolve the ability to improve aptitude?"

On the way back, Wu Yan pondered silently.

Judging from the abilities the Little Blue Bottle had displayed so far, improving aptitude did not seem like such a difficult matter, did it?

Patting his head, Wu Yan reined in his wandering thoughts and focused on the cultivation technique he had just obtained.

Icebound Secret Manual, Earth-tier mid-grade.

Those words alone were enough to explain everything.

This was the highest-grade cultivation technique Wu Yan had seen in this life.

Just how high was this grade?

Wu Yan felt somewhat uneasy. He was not sure whether he could truly comprehend the essence of this cultivation technique.

If he merely followed the circulation routes recorded in the technique and cultivated in that shallow, foolproof manner, he would be unable to unleash its true power.

There was a qualitative difference between the Dou Qi cultivated through such superficial practice and the Dou Qi cultivated after mastering the essence of the technique.

However, Wu Yan did not worry for long. Two days later, the fifty students in their batch rode griffins under the protection of academy experts and arrived at the Inner Academy hidden within the Beast Forest Sea.

As Vice Principal Hu Gan made his move and opened the Void Mirror, an ancient stone gate appeared before everyone.

After entering the stone gate, the first thing that came into everyone's view was a dense forest.

As their gazes shifted, two Inner Academy elders stood to one side with a group of old Inner Academy students, smiling at the new students who had voluntarily stepped through the stone gate.

After the elders exchanged pleasantries, an elder Hu Gan called Old Chen tossed each of them a black crystal card marked with a red five, then announced loudly:

"Next, a unique Fire Energy Hunt will begin between you new students and the old students."

"The new students must pass through this forest and enter the Inner Academy. During this process, the old students may use any means to seize the black crystal cards in your hands, so long as they do not kill you."

"For now, I can only tell you that this crystal card is extremely important to all of you who are about to enter the Inner Academy."

"So, new students, protect the crystal cards in your hands and make your way through this forest into the Inner Academy."

"This Fire Energy Hunt will officially begin the moment you step into the forest."